This invention relates to the damping of linear vibrations in general and more particularly to an improved viscous damper for use with precision instruments such as vibrating beam accelerometers.
A vibrating beam accelerometer is disclosed in copending applications Ser. Nos. 599,126 and 498,035 filed respectively on July 25, 1975 and Aug. 16, 1974 and assigned to the same assignee as the present invention. In such instruments, errors can result because of linear vibration. However, instruments of this nature which require ultimate angular stability are not usually isolated from vibration because isolators normally have an instability. Attempts have been made to accomplish vibration isolation using a single diaphragm without viscous damping. However, in such arrangements it was not possible to obtain minimum angular coupling with low hysteresis. Such a system, which could be considered a single spring system, did not provide adequate angular stability.
Thus, in view of these various difficulties the need for an improved means for damping linear vibration along an axis to isolate a precision instrument such as a vibrating beam accelerometer which provides high damping and low angular coupling is evident.